OCTOBER'S 'THEME'
"This month's On Assignment is a little different. How? There is no theme. You can choose your own theme, but, don't get too excited yet. Here's what's expected from your entry:
What I want you to do is present a series. A what? A series,
two or three photos (no more, no less) that combine to show
a single story; they are different in many ways (e.g. picture
elements, composition, colour), but stongly connected to one
another through their story. That connection can be interpreted
in many ways, as long as it is the story or general subject that
links the photos. Preferably, you'd show a set of images that
are not only very much alike in story, but in atmosphere too
(mood, post-processing), since it will make your series as a whole
more powerful, giving it a better chance to win (hopefully!).
To make the idea less abstract, let me give you guys a bit more information. I came up with the idea when thinking about photography school. If you go there, you won't be shooting single frames only, you'll be doing some series as well (in the Dutch system anyway). Those series often have a certain story/theme/subject that links the photos made for the assignment. An example would be a photography student shooting life in a retirement home (example shots:
1,
2,
3,
4). I'd like you to come up with your own story and theme, or subject, and shoot two or three photos that relate to what you choose. So, if I choose a theme like "The good life" (
based on a Sinatra song), and my story would be about a millionaire living that good life, I could shoot someone in a fancy car, opening the door of a big mansion and sailing a yacht. Let these photos blend together in style, make them a proper series instead of two/three separate photos.
Be creative!Any sort of photography works for this assignment. If you like portraits, go out and find someone interesting to photograph, or, see whether you can shoot a friend's wedding. If you're more of a landscape photographer, shoot pictures of the sun rising (easy one) or find a landscape that can be recognised in three different photos (Grand Canyon can be shot in many different ways). I myself will try to cover something in a documentary-style manner. Feel free to be inspired by looking at other peoples' work, browse through magazines, look at World Press Photo series, visit a couple of photography schools' websites.
Be inspired!Once you have chosen your story and theme/subject, shot the pictures, edited them to your liking (
no restrictions) post them as
separate images, all with EXIF, sticking to the maximum dimension limit of [u500 pixels[/u]. Feel free to link to larger files, and, if you want to, include links to more shots that could go in the series.
However, do not post more than three images! And remember, all shots must be taken in October!
Along with your pictures, please tell us what story you want to tell. It's not obligatory to include a story, but it's interesting for other users to know what story you're trying to tell through your photos.
Remember, it's the whole series that matters. All photos must add to the series, it’s creative value shouldn't depend on just one shot. To quote one of my idols, Joe McNally:
“It only takes one ‘Awww, sh*t!” moment to wipe out three ‘atta boys’…”
Combine the power of the individual photos to tell the story as a whole, that's the purpose of this On Assignment.
Be... the winner!
I wish you all best of luck, tons of creativity and inspiration, and hope to see some great series here!
Some story suggestions/ideas:
-
new start: show someone making a new start, at work, in his/her private life.
-
back to childhood: show some of your childhood memories.
-
study: show us your life as a student.
-
family: show us some relatives.
-
architecture: show us a building from different perspectives, or show similarities in architectural styles.
Some examples of series:
-
Robin de Puy:
click here
-
Joe McNally, heroes of 9/11:
1,
2,
3,
4
-
Anthony Suau(World Press Photo):
click here"
- Bjorn -
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
